I write about financial advisors. It's my core belief – and also that of the website where I am editor-in-chief, AdviceIQ.com – that everyone needs a good advisor. The emphasis is on "good." Financial advisors can really help a lot of people. This blog gives you my advice on working with them – and also features personal finance writings by some of the best advisors around. Every player, even the most experienced pros, needs a coach. Hey, Tiger Woods, one of the best golfers ever, needed a coach to fix his swing. When I hear that advisors aren't needed because everybody should be a self-directed investor, I cringe. A lot of people don't have the aptitude or inclination to learn all they need to know. I myself have a financial advisor, Jim Ludwick of Main Street Financial Planning, who has spotted things in my financial arrangements that I had not. Many Americans don't have a financial advisor, and of those who do, a lot don't understand what the advisor does. I used to be investing editor at Forbes, and then at the Wall Street Journal. In 2011, I wrote a book, TAMING THE BEAST, which is excerpted on this site. It's all about how to be a smart investor.

The 3 Best Retirement Tips Of 2013

Retirement planning should be on everyone’s mind, whether you are a baby boomer reaching the end of your working life or a 20-something just starting out. One of the smartest financial advisors gives us her take on how to do this: Manisha Thakor is the CEO and founder of MoneyZenManagementin Santa Fe, N.M. – an independent boutique advisory firm focusing on the needs of high net worth women and families. Her suggestions:

As we ease into the new year, we also welcome some changes that make it easier to retire with a solid nest egg.

Here are three simple steps that you can take in 2013 to maximize your retirement savings.

In 2013, you are allowed to contribute $500 more to 401(k) and 403(b) plans than in 2012, bringing your total maximum possible annual contribution to $17,500, if you are under 50 years old.

Doesn’t sound like a big deal? If you are 25 and you save an extra $500 annually until you are 70, that extra $500 a year is worth $142,000, assuming an average annual return of 7% over that time.

If you are over 50, the government allows you to contribute even more. You can save an extra $5,500 on top of the new $17,500 limits, bringing your maximum annual workplace contribution to $23,000. The over-50 limit stays the same for 2013. This extra contribution applies to federal employees’ Thrift Savings Plans – as well as to private-sector 401(k)s, which are for profit-oriented companies, and 403(b)s, for nonprofits.

Despite their less-than-friendly sounding names, referring to sections of the U.S. tax code, these programs are your friends. Payroll deduction helps you save because, when a recurring sum automatically comes right out of your paycheck, you don’t have to consciously put the money away.

These programs also have two turbo-powered functions that can work in your favor: matching contributions from your employer (although not all companies make them) and the tax-deferral on your contribution – the money gets withdrawn from your salary before taxes, and you are taxed only when you take it out later.

2) Enjoy higher IRA contribution limits.

Limits for individual retirement account contributions also increase in 2013. If you earn income from work and are younger than 50, you can contribute up to $5,500 to an IRA. If you are over 50, you can contribute an extra $1,000, bringing the total to $6,500.

If you want to save more than the limit in your IRA or 401(k), you can go right ahead and do so, but you don’t get the benefit of a tax deduction for it. Higher contribution limits means more tax savings.

Stay-at-home parents can also contribute to their own IRA based on a spouse’s earnings from work.

3) If you qualify, use the Saver’s Credit to minimize taxes.

This is a little-known tax credit for low and middle-income workers that no qualified person should pass up. Depending upon your tax filing status and adjusted gross income, you may be eligible for a tax credit of $1,000 to $2,000 for saving for retirement with an IRA or other plan.

For example, if your tax filing status is single, and your income is $29,500 or less, you might be able to get a $1,000 tax credit. A tax credit is much more valuable than a tax deduction, as it represents a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your income taxes A dollar deduction, for someone with a 25% marginal tax rate, results in only 25 cents of savings.

Transamerica’s Center for Retirement Research found this valuable benefit to be quite underutilized. Only 21% of workers earning less than $50,000 a year even know that the Saver’s Credit exists.

It’s easy to get caught up with the gloom and doom in the headlines and worry about things that you can’t do anything about, like the fate of the euro or U.S. budget problems. So this year, focus on what you can control and take these powerful steps to increase your retirement savings.

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